We used to absolutely love this place & were regular visitors, making the trip up from Glasgow to celebrate special occasions or drop in on our way up to family holidays. I don't know what has happened over the last couple of years but it seems to have hit a steep decline & unfortunately this will have been our last visit. They no longer offer the great service & beautiful food they once did.
Our visit started badly when, as we were being greeted, we were informed with a shrug that this famous shellfish restaurant had, in fact, no shellfish on the menu. A failure with a delivery & no contingency meant there was no fresh shellfish available (oysters apart). OK, we can deal with that but a phone call to let us know would have been appreciated. Once you're at Loch Fyne you don't have many options to drop-in elsewhere, although the manager made it very clear we were welcome to leave before we sat down.
Food was ok but 2 chowders arrived quite cold & appeared to have been poorly reheated. A member of our parties main dish arrived along with the starters whilst the waiting staff seemed unable to hold information or write down orders, making me repeat myself several times. I opted for a burger (I wanted mussels), it was distinctly average. My 6yo daughter was very happy they did have macaroni cheese & she enjoyed that.
As we finished dessert (again some things not available) we started to hear some shouting, then louder swearing & banging as our poor amnesiac waiter scurried out of the kitchen being berated by (I assume) the chef behind him. It was quite funny until I remembered I did in fact have a 6yo in our company & the swearing was pretty inappropriate.
Cue the kitchen porter wheeling out the bins past our table in his hi-viz vest & I'm starting to question if this is a set-up and Ant & Dec are about to jump out on me.
We complained to our manager friend who seemed to get a bit huffy & argumentative although we did get a discount eventually, we still paid for the full meal just minus the price of some wine. We were the last people to leave (closes at 4.30pm!) & had to exit through the staff meeting as the manager berated her staff for having to give us a discount. I was waiting for the slow hand clap as they gave us a guard of honour on the way out, they even quickly locked the door behind us.
So yeah, if you're looking for a Fawlty Towers experience or some macaroni cheese, I guess you might visit, we probably...
Read moreDisappointed with the service given, although the food I got, which wasn't my first choice, was nice.
Last day of my summer holiday and I wanted to treat myself, so jumped in the car to drive here for lunch. Wasn't stopping anywhere else, just wanted to come here then head home, so packed the dog into the car and off we went on our 4 hour round trip.
Arrived & went to look at menu and order food and stated to the staff, as I had my dog with me, I would want to have the food outside in the tables that are there, as I couldn't leave him in the car as that would be cruel & unsafe for him in the summer heat.
I was told I couldn't eat the food outside on their tables so my dog could be with me, but I could order from the takeaway 2 feet away that uses the exact same kitchen instead and sit at the tables with the dog??????
Takeaway has a far less comprehensive menu, so had to settle for something else than what I wanted, as I wasn't leaving with nothing after a 2 hour drive to get there.
This is a major tourist destination but their attitude was for my dog to be left in the car while I ate instead of letting me eat the restaurant food outside on their own tables they have out there and that was a terrible way to treat customers.
Food is coming out of the same building, from the same kitchen, owed (no doubt) by the same people but I couldn't have what I actually wanted
It's summer, we don't get them that often in Scotland, yet this is typical of the attitudes seen by our tourist destinations that think they are there for them, not the paying customers & we should be grateful for them being there. No wonder our so called service industry is lagging behind so very many other countries.
Dreadfully disappointed and to be honest, it...
Read moreThe freshest seafood ever! I mean, seriously. Most everything on the menu is caught in Loch Fyne. The OYSTERS are to die for. We were unable to get a booking Saturday as they were completely booked out days in advance. We decided to get takeaway oysters and smoked salmon, and ate them outside on the picnic tables. Wellllllll the oysters were so good we asked to book lunch the next day. They fortunately had an opening.
We came back today and were blown away by the selection and the quality of the food. Again we had 6 fresh oysters, and also the hand dived Shetland scallops with the a black pudding on the side (it is Scottish sausage and I don’t eat meat, but the husband does). We also indulged in the Loch Fyne Langoustines.
I enjoyed a glass of extra brut Cremant BdB from France. Nice and dry bubbly.
Hoooo weeee that was a great lunch! Everything came out quickly and was a nice presentation. The langoustines were served with a side of garlic butter and chips (fries).
The food we selected was perfect for two people. If you are in Scotland and you like seafood, make sure to put this place on your list. Best oysters I’ve ever had.
They also have a very nice deli attached with some local gifts. The fresh fish looks amazing. They also sell some snacks like fresh cheese and those oat crackers that...
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